The image of screens strapped to students’ faces is what the future of education looks like to some, but others see it as a passing fad that educators will look back on and say, ‘What were they thinking?’

Many proponents of immersive virtual reality in classrooms—using devices like Oculus Rift or Google Cardboard—say one question will be key to the fate of the tech in education: Will these new systems make students and professors content creators, or merely consumers?

Starting today! You can now access Toontastic 3D, a redesigned storytelling app for students that lets users draw, animate, and narrate their own 3D cartoons. If you’re a regular reader of ClassTechTips.com you know how much I love open-ended creation tools. As a one-to-one iPad teacher, I used the original version of Toontastic with my students so I’m so excited about today’s new release!

Available for both Android and iOS devices, Toontastic 3D gives students the power to easily create their own cartoon. Using Toontastic 3D is easy, students can create their own characters and move then around the screen. As they tell their story, students record their voice and create an animated movie. With Toontastic 3D students can create their own cartoon on any topic.

App provides students with customizable story templates, settings, and characters. Students can also create stories, settings, and characters of their own. Students can record narration while moving characters around their scene settings. No account needed.

"Google announced today the release of Toontastic 3D which is similar to the original Toontastic but has more awesome stuff to offer. Toontastic 3D allows kids to use their imagination and engage in creative tasks. They can construct amazing things including book and school reports, design pitches, narrate stories, create beautiful cartoons and many more. Toontastic 3D is available for free download in both iOS App Store and Google Play Store. It also works with select Chromebooks."

A very good and engaging tool for digital storytelling. Quite simple but with a very catchy layout. Easy to use, with simple outcomes. It is a good tool for primary and lower secondary students!! Production is saved as a video in the mobile device.

With Pokemon Go, Google Cardboard and Google Expeditions making virtual reality the hottest thing in tech, teachers may be wondering how they can capitalize on the trend in the classroom. Imagine studying underwater ecosystems and taking the whole class scuba diving with just a smartphone and a $6 headset.

The benefits of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) include increased engagement, appeal to visual learners and shared experience among students. Although the immersive experience is enhanced with a headset, the 360-degree experience is still worth exploring. Teachers can take advantage of many of the VR apps using the individual laptops, iPads or smartboards already in the classroom. While VR is changing quickly, the resources below are a good starting point.

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